A playlist of videos covering the issues with the BBC and transphobic reporting: kzfaq.info/sun/PLmWFOeT2jEofVIDW9X3OL7GqWuX3Dxopu

So glad you have Demons of The Punjab so high because as a student of Indian History with a focus on the last days of The Raj, I found this episode to be a brilliant depiction of the personal trauma of India’s partition. A wonderfully poignant episode that elevates the Chibnall era.

You are not alone with liking Robot of Sherwood. I adore it. Plus, its one of those episodes that actually could've worked with literally ANY doctor. Be it Nine, Ten, Eleven, Thirteen, Fourteen, and no doubt FIFTEEN, even though we've not seen much of him yet.

The scene in Thin Ice when The Doctor Falcon Punches that nobleman: GREATEST. DW. MOMENT. EVER.

Vincent and the doctor still makes me teary even thinking about that ending. SO well done.

I was getting so heated up inside and getting ready to leave a passionate comment when I was at number 2 in the list and still hadn't seen Human Nature/Family of Blood, thank God I was then saved by seeing it at number 1. Easily my favourite look back / retrospective analysis of a time period Doctor Who has ever done. I love the choice the story makes to be set before WW1 instead of during it. Exploring what it was like during this peacetime in Britain, how even though nobody was dying at the time, there was this growing sentiment among the government, the general public and especially men that a "just war" was exactly what everyone needed to prove themselves and achieve glory for the country. An idea not only common in Britain but all across Europe at the time, making the outbreak of WW1 in 1914 and it being one of the most bloody and ruthless wars in history, while also being one of the most fundamentally pointless in both the reasons for it's outbreak and it's conclusion. The fact that boys as young as 14 would volunteer on mass to be part of the British army just to be slaughtered in their thousands within a single day on the bloodiest days of the absolute hell that was Trench Warfare on the Western Front. The entire male population of small British villages like the one in the episode would be absolutely eradicated in the space of a few years, leaving countless grieving mothers, daughters, sisters and wives, just like Nurse Redfern which makes her distaste for the military since she already lost her husband in a war already, make it all the more poignant since she was just one of countless many that would experience that same tragic loss in the years to come.

The thing about The Aztecs that I found cool was Barbara believing she could lead the people away from human sacrifice, only to have to face that some stuff can't just be changed by one person.

I remember watching "Fear Her" in 2006 and feeling like 2012 was the far flung future. Now it's fully a historical (not that this episode would ever be part of a Top 10) We old.

Unicorn and the Wasp should be in the list - i know its silly, but Donna is on comedy fire in it. And i know you hate it but Villa Diodati is pretty enjoyable in terms of atmosphere and the characters, its only the ending that ruins it.

Robot of Sherwood is a fun episode, for sure. Fires of Pompeii is one of my personal faves. It's astonishing that Edison even cares about his employees than a certain current CEO who ppl compare to Edison.

I think Jodie's era had the best set of historical stories, what was great is that it returned Doctor Who back to it's original remit of educating as well as entertaining! I loved that My Top 10 modern historicals would be: 1. Vincent and the Doctor 2. The Haunting of Villa Diodati 3. Rosa 4. Demons of the Punjab 5. The Fires of Pompeii 6. The Girl in the Fireplace 7. Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror 8. Thin Ice 9. Robot of Sherwood 10. The Witchfinders (really underrated)

Can I just say, I absolutely LOVE your loosey goosey way of going about things - basing things off of vibes is the best way to do things!

Stat Trek's Time's Arrow ticks all the boxes of a Dr. Who historical

Robin Hood is almost always good fun! To quote my favorite Klingon, “I am NOT a Merry Man!”

Nice to meet a fellow Robot of Sherwood enjouyer. As somebody who suffers from depression I think Vincent and the Doctor portrays it perfectly and I think can guess 3 episodes which are going to be your worst historical episodes; The Eaters of light - The hunting of Haunting of Villa Diodati and The idiot lantern. Great video

I first learned about the Partition of India from Demons of the Punjab ... and I was 46 when it aired, so I;m glad that it made it into the top half of your list. It filled a shameful gap in my historical knowledge.

These are my top 10! Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror would be my number 11. 1. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances 2. Vincent and the Doctor 3. Father's Day 4. The Girl in the Fireplace 5. Human Nature/The Family of Blood 6. Village of the Angels 7. Thin Ice 8. Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks 9. Cold War 10. Rosa

this has made me realise how many of my favourite episodes are historical ones

Going by the placement of your 4th Doctor scarf, I think your number 4 pick (The Doctor Dances) is your last minute placement add - it is folded differently in this segment when compared to the other segments, including the 1st and 2nd spot segments. However, you either dubbed in or re-record your line about the Robot of Sherwood being number 11 when you talk about number 9, the Telsa episode. I have to rewatch that part to see the placement of the scarf. EDit: I just watch the Tesla part and it is intact redoubled with the scarf matching the other segments. This confirms that your number 4 was the one you had forgotten.

I adore Human Nature/Family of Blood so much. The end scene with the voiceover breaks my heart every. Time.

Considering the callous way Martha's awful treatment is handled, I really can't enjoy the Number one choice. It really feels like the show is Punishing Martha and at 2 Parts, the episode makes that treatment drag a lot. I also never found 'John Smith' and Joan Redfern's romance to be compelling.

It's beautiful to see how you have grown as a critic, writer, and person. Thank you for being you, awesomesauce!

I'm basing my top-ten list partially on how I rate the episode overall but with added weight on how the historical aspects impact the story: 1. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances 2. The Fires of Pompeii 3. Vincent and the Doctor 4. The Girl in the Fireplace 5. Human Nature/Family of Blood 6. Thin Ice 7. Tooth & Claw 8. The Unquiet Dead 9. The Shakespeare Code 10. The Haunting of Villa Diodati Honorable mention to Fathers Day, Rosa and Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror My favourite historical from the classic era by far is The Time Warrior

Not only do I agree with your number one pick, but the way they cap off that story with the glimpse into present day and how emotional it is... It hits me EVERY time because I think it's a very honest reflection of just what a human tragedy the whole thing was, through the eyes of a character we've gotten to know over the story... Also, I have a lot of love for Robot Of Sherwood, as a fun, low-stakes adventure, and always have - and that was BEFORE I moved to Nottingham myself 😂

Robot of Sherwood is a really good episode, that I love dearly.

My favourites would be Hide, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Demons of the Punjab, Cold War, Vincent and the Doctor, Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, Village of the Angels, The Unquiet Dead, Crimson Horror, The Snowman, Rosa, The Girl in the Fireplace, Thin Ice.

I adore Hide. The performances of the two ghost hunters (their names escape me) are really good and the spooky house setting is solid. I can't fault you for putting Human Nature at the top. Not only is it a great story with great performances from all involved, but it managed to juggle all that and also put just enough focus on the WW1 aspect.

Its worth noting that the classic series bigging up the "great men of history" happens significantly less than the modern series. You would think it would be the opposite but the writers from that eras were less interested in aggrandising as you would say. One thing I didn't appreciate about The Gunfighters (because I didn't like it) when I first saw it, is that it's thumbing its nose at that over mythologised event.

FINALLY robot of sherwood is getting the respect it deserves. I claim responsibility

Love to see some Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror appreciation! Honestly probably one of my favorite Whittaker era stories

Its the "Yes Jamie...I am your Mummy" that gets me every time !

My top 10 in no particular order: Human Nature/Family of Blood The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances Vincent and the Doctor Remembrance of the Daleks (yes its a Dalek story but the historical setting is quite significant) Curse of Fenric Horror of Fang Rock Fires of Pompeii Demons of the Punjab Thin Ice The talons of Weng Chiang (Great story but the yellowface has aged poorly)

Fully agree with number one. Never fails to make me cry, often rewatch it

Great list, and a wonderful appreciation of these stories. I agree that Hide is underrated - I recently rewatched season 7 for the first time since it aired, and was pleasantly surprised by how much better Hide was than I remembered it.

This is a really nice list!

I'd have 'the Unicorn and the Wasp' somewhere, rather than 'the Robots of Sherwood,' but that's just me.

Vincent would definitely be my number 1, but this is a real good list.

Scarf is in the same place throughout the whole video except for the Empty Child, thats my guess for the added in one

Can't believe you almost forgot The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. It's a great list. Historicals and Daleks were definitely the Chibnall's era's strong suits. Glad to see they're rising in everyone's appreciation 😊

I don't have time to watch this as it comes out sadly, but I'll quickly say that if you haven't seen the Massacre yet (as much as you can 'see' missing episodes), please do. It's so good! I really need to rewatch the modern historicals, but I remember finding the two historical Flux episodes to be the enjoyable parts of that series.

Is "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" the one you had to add? lol

Empty Child/Doctor Dances was my intro to Doctor Who. Whew, high bar. Still, became a massive fan, going way back & forth in the saga. Love most all of it. Still, this one is a masterpiece. Sucked me right in. Thin Ice balanced fun history with utmost tragedy. Watched several times, but dang the tough bits are rly tough. Punjab easily the best of the Chibnall era for me. So well done. So very sad. Ready to rewatch Vincent for the umpteenth time. Watched what I think was your og review (wait up, must be the overdue review) several times, so dang inciteful, it meant a whole lot to me. Ty Vera for that one, always. Surprised it’s not yr #1 ep, but I get it. Have to rewatch yr top pick.. Love Paul Cornell, and/but wow I found that a tough watch. History student here, find my dips into WWI both fascinating & overwhelmingly excruciating… Thank goodness for Sherwood! Fave Doctor & hilarious romp compared to all the historical tragedy in the “best” eps. Looking forward to the worsts! Betcha I have some faves among them 😅

Good list. I was surprised with Robots of Sherwood, I had fun with that. The Doctor fighting with a spoon! I agree about the number one pick and appreciate the love for Cold War and Hide, loved those episodes. Still good ranking of the list. Ah history!

Human Nature / Family of Blood is my favourite Doctor Who story EVER! So it would definitely be no. 1 for me as well!

I have always adored Family of Blood and have sought out other novels by the writer which I also enjoyed immensely. I actually also liked The Villa of Whatever Its Name was. It was really the first of Thirteem's that I had felt was Doctor Who. I love your sign off by the way. Inspirational and comforting. Px

My top historicals: 10 - fires of Pompeii 9 - hide 8 - thin ice 7 - curse of the black spot 6 - unicorn and the wasp 5 - empty child/ doctor dances 4 - Rosa 3 - Vincent and the doctor 2 - impossible astronauts/ day of the moon 1 - Girl in the fire place GOD TIER - Let’s kill Hitler

YES! THIN ICE IS AMAZING! It's one of my favorite 12th doctor episodes

Thank you for the video, Vera! And that is a very good list! I find funny including the "Robot of Sherwood" episode considering how historians cannot agree on Robin Hood being a real historical figure or not. In similar note, it feels like a post-Mandela effect having to remember that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, and Jack the Ripper was real (at least, the series of murders attributed to the subject were real). Or how King Arthur and the Excalibur sword were real, but the tales of the "Lady of the Lake" and the "sword in the stone" were (probably) not.

I really liked the Robin Hood episode. It was really funny. The interactions between the Doctor and Robin Hood were hilarious.

Empty Child / Doctor Dances reads as the addendum.

I really hoped The Unicorn and the Wasp would be on this list. It has my two most favourite things in the world in it, Doctor Who and Agatha Christie. I’ve read all her novels and watched the series and obviously I’ve also watched all of Dr Who. The vespiform is ridiculous I grant you but still it’s AC and Doctor Who. She’d make a great companion.

Great episode. Historical have always been quite hit & miss in Who. They almost always look great, but the content is often lacking. But when they hit, they hit hard. Top 10 new Who historically (no particular order): Human Nature/Family of Blood (just great), Girl in the Fireplace, The Unquiet Dead, The Fires of Pompeii, Thin Ice, Vincent & The Doctor, Rosa, Demons of the Punjab, Haunting of Villa Diodati, Tooth & Claw (is Fathers Day a historical?) Classic Who top 10 (those that were actually historical at time of transmission….): The Aztecs, The Romans, The Crusades, The War Games, The Time Warrior, Pyramids of Mars, Talons of Weng Chiang (and yes, I know there’s deeply unfortunate ‘historical’ issues with this), Masque of Mandragora, Black Orchid, The Visitation,

I have two things to say, so I'll separate them as if they were two different comments, (I just wanted to say that just so it doesn't look too jarring). I understand that the world of KZfaq collaborations has changed drastically over the years (definitely for the better), and people tend to choose to collaborate with friends they really know and click with over just people who do similar things BUT I would love to see you and Bernadette Banner tackle this together, with possibly all modern era Doctor Who historical episodes/ historical appearances. She outed herself as a Doctor Who fan with a fantastic Missy cosplay, and I think both your intelligence and knowledge in your respective areas would create something well worth watching! I fully agree with your list and your reasoning! So much so that when you got to number one I honestly thought "what could possibly beat out the last 3!" And then wasn't a bit surprised at what it was! I don't think I would add or change anything, except I do agree that I would put Robot of Sherwood higher, if it weren't for the blatant inaccuracies 😂 I've watched you for years, and I have to say, I always find myself agreeing with you, but I think this might be one of my favourite videos you've put out to date! And I am pleased that Demons of the Punjab made it, as that's one of the few Chibnall era episodes I enjoyed enough to want to watch again.

hmm Image of the Fendhal is def in my top ten historicals if it counts.

I'm surprised twice upon a time isn't there but a great list regardless

Surprised there was no The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon on this this list! Also think I would have included The Haunting of Villa Diodati and Village of the Angels but that's just me.

classic era has some corkers: the polite english fascism of 'remembrance of the daleks' and the corrupted victoriana of 'ghost light' really stand out for me.

Totally agree with your number 1. But I think this is a top 10 list cause The Girl in the Fireplace doesn't belong on it at all, it's true setting is the future not the past.

Excellent list! I agree with just about every story on it. For me, Fires of Pompeii is higher, because I teach Latin, and the family in that story is very heavily inspired by the family in the textbook I was teaching from at the time, the Cambridge Latin Series. They changed just enough about Caecilius, Metella, and Quintus to keep from copyright issues, but made them familiar enough that anyone who's learned Latin via that text would recognize them immediately. I also would not have ranked Human Nature/Family of Blood at the top because, for me, the good things aren't enough to make up for the fact that Martha has to bear the brunt of the story's downbeats again. Martha was such a good companion, but the writers sometimes had trouble figuring out her relationship to and with the Doctor. I've got the novel the story was based on/inspired by up on my shelves - I want to read it and compare the two versions at some point. 7 and Benny would have a different dynamic than 10 and Martha for so many reasons, and I think, for me, 7 and Benny might work better in the general setting/story. I think it'd still make my top 10, just not the top spot - that's either Thin Ice or Vincent and the Doctor.

Love your opinion of the number 3 on this list. It's a very underrated episode 🫶

some of my favorites too, however i would include the unicorn and the wasp, and leave out Teslas night of terror, Rosa wasnt too bad either. If you would like a list of classic era historicals to watch Reign of terror (french revolution) 1st the Romans The Aztecs gunslinger the crusade time warrior 3rd pryamids of mars 4th Talons of Wen Chiang time flight 5th Black orchid the visitaion curse of fenric 7th tribe of gum 1st almost all of these are pure historicals, no monsters to spoil them modern era are semi historicals as they have a scifi element

I know you're doing New Who but from the Seventh Doctor era, Curse of Fenric and Remembrance of the Daleks are both way up there for me

I guess I can see your #1, given the context of what this list is about. However, I like your #2 as a story better, because it is more than just a historical, it is moving on a whole other level and I can't watch the final scenes w/dry eyes. Your # 3 is an excellent choice too! I particularly love the scene where he wins Bill back, talking about how you define a species.

1) does father's day count as a historical! 2) Vincent is to me the reverse of Up, strong sequence (in this case the end) over a middling rest of the story 3) I've never loved no 1, but do enjoy it. A better "historical" is twice upon a time for including/introducing people to the Christmas miracle

Hooray for your Thin Ice love! I think my list would be (in no particular order): Vincent and the Doctor Human Nature / Family of Blood Thin Ice Empty Child / Doctor Dances Girl Who Died Woman Who Lived Demons of the Punjab Eaters of Light Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon The Girl in the Fireplace

I share your deep love for "Thin Ice." When that episode first aired, I distinctly remember the huge smile it put on my face and a sense of pure fun that I hadn't felt from Doctor Who in such a long time. And I appreciated how it didn't hand-wave racism against the companion ala "The Shakespeare Code." Of course, the anti-woke crowd will rag on it, but let them bitch all they want. That episode is a wonderful, joyous, all-time classic, 10 out of fucking 10.

Vincent and the Doctor would be number 1 for me (it is my favorite Who episode actually), and one and Thin Ice number 2. Fires of Pompeii would probably be 3. But I love most of the episodes on this list, and most of them would be in my top 10.

D’ya think Fear Her counts as an historical _now?_ When it was made it took place six years in the future…but as I write this, it takes place twelve years in the past. 😆

My guess for the one you forgot, is the Girl in the Fireplace due to you stating its the Moffat episode you forget about lol I wasn't sure at first what could possibly top the Vincent Van Gough episode, but you're right, the first time I watched the Family of Blood episodes they hit home their time period perfectly

For a long time, I did not fully understand the experiences and points of view of LGBTQ+ (and especially trans) people due to my upbringing, and I want to thank you for opening my eyes to those perspectives and helping me to realize that they are people just like me, and not a political football. - A fan of yours since 2014

"Rosa" was amazing

fires of pompeii being that low because its strengths lie in character work over the setting is ABSOLUTELY fair but that's not gonna stop it from being my all-time personal favorite doctor who historical lol. i adore the doctor and donna's relationship too much for it not to be

What, no Idiot’s Lantern? [ducks]

thin ice is technically the only full historical (historical story with no aliens) in the revival :)

Historical episode you didn't mention that's probably on my top 10: Tooth and Claw. Mostly cuz I love werewolves and it establishes Torchwood.

Haha, there are some that weren't originally historicals, but became so thorugh the passage of time. I love it.

I love the historicals of the early classic era (Hartnell and Troughton) before aliens and the Doctor started getting too involved with historical events. I'd rank The Aztecs and The Romans higher than most modern historical episodes.

I honestly thought "historical Doctor Who" was referring to the Doctor before the 2000's 😂❤

I forgot how good some of these episodes are.

Why 11? Because she likes to go 1 step beyond.

Funny how out of these 11 I have recently shown 2 to my partner! And you do have a point that Human Nature is the most down-to-Earth historical in the modern era at least. In terms of classic - most of Hartnell's historicals were just as down-to-earth. Heck, an Unearthly Child was like that. I'd say my favourite historical overall was the Black Orchid. Just such a feel-good story.

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances has always been one of my favorites, if not my number one Doctor Who story. Though, Vincent and The Doctor is really up there for me too, and I agree Thin Ice is underrated, both as a historical piece and just as an episode in general. Human Nature/Family of Blood is good as well --- I always thought it was interesting that the story apparently wasn't afraid to make John Smith kind of a dick. Or perhaps, a product of his time might be more accurate to say. I know some people don't care for the story's depiction or treatment of Martha, which I get, but nonetheless I think it's still a compelling exploration of the time period, the Doctor's flaws, and humans having flashes of greatness and heroism while also being a bit rubbish.

Good friend, the year is currently 1880 and I find myself asleep, dreaming that I have just watched your "You" "Tube" "video". Now I dream of leaving a comment under this marvelous moving picture (truly, the wildest dream that ever I have had). And now, before I wake, I wanted to tell you the manner in which I have come to watch your video (per your penultimate request) and also to tell you that you too are beautiful and valid! Good show, brava, etcetera! What a thing these under-market psychic soporifics... Kindly, Maez Birmingly (she/they) born 1855 - died (please don't tell me)

Surprised that the queen turning into a werewolf wasn't at the top lol

I'm not sure fans of only new Who realise just how much of a failure the "pure historicals" were and how swiftly they were dropped. Thereafter, the show may have been set in certain time periods but weren't framed around "hey, that's Isambard Kingdom Thing or Queen Whatsit". For instance, people wax rhapsodical about Marco Polo, which really was just a very long tedious historical travelogue. Like so many of the missing episodes it's probably lauded so much these days simply because it's missing. Though not historicals, I include Celestial Toymaker and Shada (not missing, just abandoned) in this category.

I liked your list. But here are a few comments. I don't know if I consider Sherwood a historical. I also have a few historical episodes I really like that aren't here. I hope they're not in your bottom 11. Unicorn and the Wasp, Rosa, Witchfinders, The Unquiet Dead, and one of my all time favorites.....The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe.

for me theres only like... two or three historicals in modern who. An alien element that isn't brought in by a tardis or similar small scale time machine disqualifies it from being historical. So stuff like the empty child would count since it was just captain jack and the doctor, but any of the examples with multiple robots or aliens running about in a period setting or unicorn and the wasp where the central threat is revealed to be an alien who grew up there would not count because it's not about the history but instead the setting.

Random thoughts: Thin Ice: the fact that David Warner was never cast as a TV Doctor will always make me sad. Fires of Pompeii: shouldn't have taken 10 minutes of begging for the Doctor to do the right thing. Aside from that, a solid episode. Vincent and the Doctor: Would have worked just as well without the alien. Human Nature: will always like the book better, because he the book the Doctor gets a cat.

I really like the Agatha Christie episode.

I too enjoy the banter of Robot of Sherwood, but its nowhere near my top 10. It actually feels like it would fit well in the new era of Who, where reality is warped and the rules of fantasy are n play. I'd list The Next Doctor in there somewhere. Great examination of the period, and sense of place. No messing around with hagiography of historical figures. A strong story of the regular folk, and the story of Jackson Lake is killer. Rescuing little kids also a big plus. I'm willing to give the giant Cyber-mecha a pass in light of how great Dervla Kirwan is otherwise as Miss Hartigan.

I wouldn't really count Hide since it wasn't really about the setting, and the characters unique to the episode weren't historical figures. Also I'm surprised The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances wasn't number 1 considering your placement of The Doctor Dances in your complete new-Who episode ranking.

Personally, a "historical" has real characters and/or events in it, and those characters/events should be imporant to the plot. Doctor Who is a time-travel show where going into the past is part of the territory, so merely setting a story in the past isn't enough of a differentiator for me.

Do we count episodes like Dalek and Fear her as historicals yet

Obviously the Tesla episode is the one you added since you referred to there being 11 top episodes ;)

What about the "Haunting of Villa Diodati"? Do you consider it not historical enough?

You talking about historicals that you actually like made me want you to rank episodes with children in them.

My problem with this is I am a historical purist, that means no Science Fiction element, no monsters etc. This means that that by my reckoning the historicals in modern Who are all quasi historicals & not real ones. Indeed most real historicals only happen in Hartnell, there is one in Troughton, The Highlanders & one in Davison Black Orchid. All the others whether classic or modern are not real historicals, but pseudo ones. Having said that some of them are excellent stories, one I really love is The Abominable Snowmen, as well as most of the ones in your list. I'm just pedantic as to what is defined as a historical story.

You mentioning 'wikipedia level history lesson' is funnily enough why I can't rate The Girl in the Fireplace as a historical.

Farewell Great Macedon will forever be Doctor Who's greatest ever historical

I do really like human nature/famaly of blood, but the one thing which always bugs me about it is how they try to make the doctor seem less human by bringing up how he didn't consider the possibility of him falling in love. Something about that just kinda annoys me.